Duke guard Caleb Foster put on his Superman cape and helped the No. 1-seeded Blue Devils defeat the No. 5-seeded St. John’s Red Storm 80-75 on Friday in a Sweet 16 East Region matchup at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Foster scored 11 points in 19 minutes. But his ability to take part in this contest, coming back from a broken right foot, reduced Duke head coach Jon Scheyer to tears during a postgame interview.
Caleb Foster’s Effort for Duke Gets NCAA World’s Attention
The college basketball world was simply amazed by Foster’s effort against the Red Storm.
Basketball analyst Jeff Goodman, a co-founder of the Field of 68, shared a video on X showing Foster leaving the courtside after the game. He was taking pressure off his injured right foot.
Caleb Foster after his impressive performance tonight. pic.twitter.com/PjJO8Q1HqC
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 28, 2026
Jon Rothstein, College Basketball Insider for CBS Sports, added some context to what Foster really did accomplish by returning for the Blue Devils.
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Rothstein posted on X, “Caleb Foster has foot surgery less than three weeks ago. Tonight, he scored 11 points off the bench and propelled Duke to the Elite Eight. Anarchy? Nope. Just College Basketball.”
Caleb Foster has foot surgery less than three weeks ago.
Tonight, he scored 11 points off the bench and propelled Duke to the Elite Eight.
Anarchy?
Nope. Just College Basketball. https://t.co/kxqPMYyymH
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 28, 2026
Brett Siegel, National NBA Insider and Reporter for ClutchPoints, also posted on X that Foster’s effort in coming back from a broken foot was amazing.
Siegel wrote, “11 points off the bench less than three weeks after surgery for a broken foot is ridiculous for Duke’s Caleb Foster.”
Ryan Hammer, who is a College Hoops Enjoyer and is part of the BlueBloodedPod, wrote on X, “Without Caleb Foster this would be a 15+ point game to Johnnies”.
Without Caleb Foster this would be a 15+ point game to Johnnies
— Ryan Hammer🔨 (@ryanhammer09) March 28, 2026
TNT Sports U.S.’s X account shared a video of CBS Sports sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson discussing Foster’s play. Wolfson was part of CBS Sports’ coverage of the Duke-St. John’s game, along with Ian Eagle, Grant Hill, and Bill Raftery.
Caleb Foster making an IMMEDIATE impact in his first game back 🔥pic.twitter.com/aIjkEOHBw2
— TNT Sports U.S. (@TNTSportsUS) March 27, 2026
John Fanta, a broadcaster for NBC Sports, posted on X, “Caleb Foster has given Duke everything they could have hoped for and more in this game.”
Isaiah Evans led the Blue Devils with 25 points while Cameron Boozer added 22. Duke is now 35-2 overall this season, advancing to the Elite 8. The Blue Devils will now face the winner between the No. 2-seeded UConn Huskies and the No. 3-seeded Michigan State Spartans on Sunday.
